Random, huh?
Whew! Talk about
random! Why would thoughts of death intrude on this holy time of year when we
celebrate Santa Claus, children, “Ho, ho, ho!”, RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER…
Oh, and the
Birth of the Christ Child.
I think about
how Target and Walmart and Kay Jewelers and Marshall’s have coopted the season.
And Christians fight back with pictures of Santa kneeling at the Manger.
My wife and
daughter and I watched one of our season’s favorites the other night, Joyeux Noël (a 2005 French film about
the World War I Christmas truce of December 1914, depicted through the eyes of
French, Scottish and German soldiers…written and directed by Christian Carion…screened
out of competition at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival…nominated for Best Foreign
Language Film at the 78th Academy Awards. The film was one of Ian Richardson's
last appearances before his death on 9 February 2007.)
The one
Christian Holy Day Wall Street has never been able to coopt is Easter, because
Easter is secularly speaking, about a gruesome, governmental execution. For
Christians it’s about sacrifice and Resurrection – much like the film, Joyeux Noël.
Much like life
in the shadow of death that breast cancer brings everyone who experiences it,
loves someone who experiences it, works with those who experience it.
This holiday
season is somewhat sober for me for many reasons. Yet somehow that has created
in me a deeper appreciation for the joy of this same season – a profound
thankfulness for many, many things. This thankfulness isn’t like the Christmas
play in MERRY CHRISTMAS, CHARLIE BROWN! Rather it’s like the thankfulness of
Linus’ recitation of Luke 2: 1-14 – calm, peaceful, fully aware of what he is
saying.
May your Holy
Day Season be the same.
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